I messed up and may have ruined my drill

[MiamiCuse]

I have a Dewalt cordless drill.

I was outside in my planter area doing some formwork and ran out of fasteners. I stopped and drove to HD to get some more.

During that time it rained...more like poured...

I had the drill standing up on a step stool (smart huh?) The rain or wind must have knocked it over, and it felt into the planter area. When I got back it's all wet. I peeked into the housing and saw some sand got inside the housing. I tried to shake some of it out, but because of the wetness some sand stayed inside.

It still works...but I am wondering whether I have done big damage to it.

I hope I don't have to get a new cordless drill.

MC

[Jeff Wisnia]

The essence of pragmatism is......

"If it works, use it."

I don't think you'll have trouble. Sand and dirt when dry is pretty much non-conductive electrically so shouldnt cause shorts, particularly at the relatively low voltages used in cordless tools.

I'd recommend leaving it in a warm place for a while to dry ot any moisture inside it. Maybe blow some warm air through the openings with a hair dryer.

Jeff

[Oren]

A plastic bag of rice; said to work on cell phones after dropped into water.

Place the phone /(tool in the bag) The rice will absorb the moisture.

[Steve Barker]

Mine have been rained on manytimes in the back of the pickup. They (all

3) still work just fine. s

[Jim Yanik]

Jeff Wisnia wrote in news:gqosr8$1nu$ [e-mail]:

DEFINITELY dry it out before trying to use it. A hair dryer is a good idea. then you may need to relube it.

[Stormin Mormon]

Big risk is that the electric motor may rust, and stop working. Dry it out as soon as you can. A day or two in a frost free refrigerator may help. The frost free fridges dessicate anything they can. My copier guy used to suggest I keep my copy paper in the fridge, to reduce or prevent paper feeding jams.

[Phisherman]

Dry it off, clean it, and hope. I would not leave good tools unattended, we have relatively low crime but theft does happen. Take care of your good tools and you will save money in the long run.